Warmth
by sheared
Summary: [AU based off the game Journey] Christophe knows nothing other than his dreams and his hopes. The flash of a white coat is something unbelievable, and he wishes that none of this is a hallucination.


**Finals are happening this week and the next, and then summer break. I thought, why not distract myself from such important tests?**

* * *

A gentle lift of my head, my eyes wide, and I can sense them. The sand gently shifts over my legs as I stand. Because they are there, and they know I'm here. I start jogging my way across the desert, their presence is enough to get the adrenaline pumping through me – I have only felt this way in dreams, and maybe they weren't dreams and I have just been living this over and over again, doomed to this destiny, but it's either they were dreams or I'm cursed. Because this feels so real, like all the others, yet I just end up back here all the time. With my red scarf having to grow all over again, and trying to get to know the people that I meet. Half the time I don't even know if my journey is with the same person. I feel as if there is a pause between each section of our adventure, where I don't know where they are, and I'm unable to see or hear them. But we both know what we want. We want to make it to the top of that mountain, where the glowing light looks warm, and you can feel the warmth from miles away. You fight against anything to get to that light. You fight alongside your companion just to bask in the great warmth of that _light_.

* * *

My yell breaks over the air, and I see how they turn around elegantly. Their white robe and scarf fly gently through the wind, and I don't even think they're real. I've never seen a white scarf before, only red. I've always matched with my companions in my dreams. Maybe this proves that this isn't a dream. Or that it is. Whatever, it could really go both ways, annoyingly enough.

I decide to jump off the cliff immediately, the wind rushing through my hair and past my ears. Joy unexpectedly overcomes me as I see them eagerly running towards me. My thump against the sand is dull, and accompanied with a spread of the dirt. The white coat greets me by hugging me tight in his arms. His jaw is snuggled closely to my neck, and I can see that he is a few inches taller than me. It's hard being alone. It's hard only having your imagination to make believe people that somewhat look like you to travel up to the warmth.

I see that he has already made some of the bridge, and I go to yell loudly next to the last cage, and watch as the beautiful carpets fly to conjoin into one massive ramp leading up to the bridge.

We hold hands as we float our way closer to the statue.

* * *

I hate seeing this much desert. I hate seeing this much sand, and having to stare at the sun all day long with squinted eyes just to see if I could go blind so I don't have to worry about all the dunes.

But then I have enough common sense to know I need to get around the desert to survive and my companion doesn't want to drag my blind weight around. I have learned that his name is Gregory. I have also learned that his coat is a different color then mine because in his dreams he has collected the longest scarf possible. Now that doesn't exactly make sense and I think he's just being an idiot there, but I tell him I believe him to build a system of trust.

But God, look at this sand.

Gregory decides to lead me to all the bright lights he remembers. I don't exactly care for the names of the floating symbols, nor do I ask the nerd what they are.

I still can't fly as long as him, but he's nice enough to wait for me to help me gain a charge, then continue to fly again until I run out of juice.

The massive buildings intimidate me in a way. But he holds my hand while we fly to the spiraling tower, landing on the lowest step before following the path to the top. We need help from the flying carpets that followed us after we released them, but it's nice. Especially since Gregory is by my side the whole way. He doesn't let me go to the eagle statue until I have grabbed some of the floating symbol under the "stage" for myself, elongating my scarf and my fly time.

When I finally look at him, he just smiles and holds out his hand. Because it's time to finally sit down in the designated light, and let history finally catch up to us.

* * *

The moment we are dropped down the hill, a roll of our laughter is heard among ourselves, loud and obnoxious. As we skid our way down the hill, we manage to stay close, either one of us only slightly ahead of the other. We move under the arches, and keep our eyes wide enough to survey anything abnormal around us.

We make our way to a thin alley, continuing to skid and then fall into an area closed off by walls and towers. The moment my eyes lock with the ragged and shifting red carpets, I know I'm going to have to yell to be able to make it over the walls. I already see Gregory making his way over to one, so I decide to do the same so we can get this done quicker. There is a total of four, and once each is done and unlocked, there are multiples of tiny red carpets floating next to an entrance.

Gregory decides to be a gentleman and lets me go first.

I wait for him before jumping off clumsily and landing on my back. While I am definitely in pain, Gregory's laughs shush me into a soft giggle. Our glide down the mountain is swift. The breeze is something incredible, and for a moment, I am unable to stop my giggling. Because the feeling of being so light-hearted has never really come to me before. I have always dreaded the fact that I was alone, that I was completely unable to talk to anyone, or even try to become friends with anything. I have only seen dirt, and in my dreams, I have only seen death.

Our descent quickens as we reach the bottom, it is dark down here, and somewhat scary. I stay close to Gregory, even though I know for a fact that we are the only ones left.

* * *

It is dim and moist under these roofs, in the tunnels where I feel trapped. The adventure seems to be dying down a bit, especially when you hear certain things, and feel that down here, you aren't completely alone.

But nonetheless, I do have Gregory at my side, and he is close enough to me that I feel his fearful and jagged breath against my cheek. It is hard to promise him that it will be okay, because it is hard to promise myself that statement. We slow down as we see a large contraption laying limply on the floor. At our first instinct, we are happy to see one of the floating carpets, and are excited to go up to greet it.

But it surprises me that my only reaction to the contraption getting up in a rage is falling back against the sand in fear and not screaming. I know internally, all I'm thinking about is getting ripped to shreds by that thing, but I know I can't show any fear next to Greg. Especially when that British twit is standing cool and collected and staring back at me, wishing with his eyes that I would just stand up already. I blame it on the wind the beast blew up, and that was the reason I fell.

The roll of his eyes tells me he doesn't need excuses, and I know that we must make our way to the mountain quickly.

Our travels through the tunnel keeps us wary from any light. We make our way slowly to the back of the cavern, stopping and speeding up, and flying, and just trying to escape from the monsters. We know what the red light looks like, and we know their patterns in the search. We have watched them and their routines.

We both agree on our safety. We both agree to the same set of rules.

So when Gregory is suddenly illuminated by light, I get ready to run and he stands completely still so the beast doesn't get attracted to me.

And I watch him get ripped from the ground by his scarf, and I watch some of it get torn off, and I almost yell in horror as I watch his body fall weakly to the ground.

I stumble to his body and gently shake him to wake up, to at least still be breathing, because I _swear_ to you Gregory, I will carry you over my shoulder if –

He smiles at me widely, like some fool, and then sways against me as he stands. He continues on to tell me that it was great flying through the air, and I punch him in the shoulder to shut him up.

* * *

It is so _damn_ beautiful in here.

Nothing I have ever seen has ever been as beautiful as this.

And no one in any of my imaginary tales has ever been as beautiful as him in this light.

And I don't know what love is, for I have never experienced interaction with others. But I feel that this is the attraction growing inside me right now, as I stare at him and his beaming face. He looks back at me only for a moment, before the glimmering air starts to intensify and it becomes easier for me to float. I notice that a charge is not needed in this room, up until where the glistening cloud ends and we must make it reach higher and _higher_ until we can make it to the top of the tower.

I can't help myself but look at him again.

Can't help but think, _hope_ , that the feeling between us is something not of my own lonely creation.

* * *

Emotionally draining.

Depressing.

Hopeless.

Crying.

I am crying and hiding behind a rock.

I am crying and I am so surprised that my tears have not frozen against my cheeks.

I am crying and Gregory is holding me, and I am so _embarrassed_. I cannot look at him. I do not want to listen to him. But he is there, and is comforting me, and is listening to my sobbing and how I want to give up, _need_ to –

And he picks me up, and carries me to the next rock. The wind is so strong we fall back the moment it greets us. I've never seen myself as weak.

But there is a fine line between lying to yourself and being hopeful.

* * *

We ascend at a slow pace. I can feel Gregory slowly losing his calm as we keep getting hit, _kicked down_ , by these everlasting waves of wind. I start to tumble as he falls back onto me. We get up, because we both promised each other that we could make it. We can make it, and I know we can deep down, but we aren't prepared for this. We have gone from desert and treading through sand, to climbing up a mountain just to make it to a light that we don't even know the purpose of.

And I can hear a gentle sob escape his lips. This is all we can take. We are almost there Gregory, we can do it. We can climb to the top. I know I can feel the warmth from here. If we just keep. Keep.

We are going to give up, I can feel it. The exhaustion is getting to my legs. To all of my muscles. I barely notice Gregory fall to the ground. And I didn't even feel the impact of my numb body meeting the hard snow.

I knew it would end like this. This is how all my dreams end.

Something deep down tells me Gregory knew this is how it would end too.

* * *

 **This was just something I thought of to easily base off Journey. I hope it was enjoyable, even if there are mistakes in it.**


End file.
